Breathe Me
by sintax
Summary: "You care about me, right?" She nodded, not quite getting where he was going with it. "Then you're all I need, Caroline." stefan/caroline oneshot


**This is really just a drabble of sorts. But Stefan/Caroline nonetheless! Enjoy.**

"What's wrong, Stefan?" She eyed him warily. He was never this quiet, even if they were hunting.

"The bunnies got you down?" She giggled lightly, trying to lessen the tension.

He looked over at her, his serious exterior never fading. He looked lost, forlorn, _broken_. Caroline made a note to change that, and quick.

"Really Stefan, you know you can tell me. Is it something with Katherine? Damon? Oh God, did I do something I wasn't supposed to? I don't know all the rules yet, so-"

"Not everything revolves around you Caroline."

She stopped in her tracks. Her chest clenched as she turned towards him, brows furrowed. The one person who never called her names, or degraded her, _he_ thought she was self-centered. Tears rushed to her eyes as he just stood there, jaw clenched and not speaking. He looked like he lost interest, not caring about anything.

She never wanted him to see her as self-centered, egotistical, or anything negative like Damon or Matt saw her.

If he thought of her that way, maybe she is shallow.

She started to run as tears blurred her vision, her head pounding and her breathing erratic. She didn't know where she was going but anywhere was better than near him. Her fangs grew as her eyes turned. No, she didn't know where she was going, but she didn't care.

It was a good thing that she had eaten earlier, if thirst was on her mind now, there would be no telling what she would do. She broke down.

She fell to the ground crying as she grasped her head. It was pounding, and her body ached.

Stefan had caught up with her. He saw her form shaking from behind her, her sobs breaking the silence.

"Caroline." His voice was soft as he went to grab a hold of her arm.

"No! Don't touch me!" She pulled away quickly, turning around as she stood on her own. The veins surrounding her eyes deepened as she scowled at him.

"Leave me alone Stefan! I don't want to see you anymore; I can take care of myself."

He watched her run, letting her go as his body went numb. For the first time, in a long time, Stefan had felt truly alone.

She had run home, slamming the door as she let her emotions get the best of her. She ran up to her room, locking herself in as she shut the door. Falling to the floor as she wept, she hadn't even felt this bad when Matt broke up with her.

Days past, and Caroline hadn't left her room since that day. She hadn't ate and she felt extremely weak, irritated at everything.

Stefan would stay outside her window at night, quietly watching over her. He wished he had never let her leave.

It was a bleak morning, raining as she stared out her window. She was starving, her throat burning and her gums on throbbing. She couldn't think about anything except for blood. That was all she needed. If she could only get it without killing someone, she didn't trust herself not to hurt anyone if she went hunting on her own.

She didn't want to go to Stefan, not when he thought she was self-centered. She thought he saw her for who she truly was, not what everyone else considered her to be.

She opened her door, and went outside in the rain, not caring that her hair was getting soaked, or that her makeup was smearing across her face. All she cared about what finding a way to satisfy her hunger.

She went to Damon. Maybe he would help, even though he wasn't her biggest fan. He might have the answer she was looking for, maybe he would care enough to not let her hurt someone.

She was soon at the Salvatore boarding house. As much as she missed him, she hoped that Stefan wasn't there. Going up to the door, she heard Elena's laughter coming from inside.

Maybe he was there, this was a bad idea.

Caroline started to back away from the door, but it opened, revealing a cheery Elena holding onto Damon, who was just as elated.

She didn't understand. Shouldn't she be with Stefan?

"Hey there, Blondie. If you're looking for Saint Stefan, he's not here." He smirked at her, uncaring. She turned to Elena, a questioning look gracing her features.

"What's he talking about, Elena? Shouldn't you be with…" She was lost for words. Stefan wasn't with his girlfriend, Damon was here with her, she was laughing, and Stefan wasn't here. What was going on?

"Oh, Care. He didn't tell you? We, uh… we broke up."

Suddenly everything was fitting together for Caroline. No wonder he was so upset the other day. She hadn't seen him in a while either.

Her eyes widened as she realized he was left alone for days, Elena left him and so did she.

"Where is he now? Have you seen him?" She started to worry, anything could have happened to him since he was so distraught. He could have lost it. She knew how much Elena had meant to him.

"Nope, haven't seen his broody self in days. Haven't you?"

Caroline took in Damon's words; neither of them had seen him. Caroline couldn't place the emotions she felt knowing that he was missing.

"So, both of you haven't seen him for days. Yet you're both here laughing and having fun not caring that you broke his heart and he's not here? You're both pathetic."

With that, she turned and ran looking for him. Determined to find him, and apologize, make him feel happy again.

First, she ran into the woods, calling out his name hoping he'd be here hunting. He wasn't, but Caroline was not going to give up on him. She went to Mystic Grill, asking around if anyone had seen him.

No one had, and he wasn't there. She looked all over the places that they had been together, around the high school, around the woods.

He wasn't anywhere. She was still in the woods as she saw a bunny run across the ground. She was so hungry, and so angry at Elena, Damon and herself.

She ran up on the creature, grabbed it and sank her fangs into it. Groaning as she finally felt calm. She couldn't stop drinking, even though she hadn't wanted to kill it.

It was limp in her hands as she drained it dry. Silently apologizing to the creature, she laid it down and stood up.

Tears were falling down her cheeks as she realized that she hadn't found Stefan. She looked everywhere, but he just didn't want to be found.

She decided to go home. Although she was returning home for the night, tomorrow she would find him, she knew it. Her feet heavy as her emotions had made her weak and exhausted, she carried herself home.

Walking down her street, she saw a figure outside of her house. She started walking faster, her breathing picking up as she started to panic. The feeling of not knowing who was at your house had her on edge.

But, as she neared her house, she realized that the figure wasn't a stranger. It was _him_ on her doorstep. Stefan was here, and he was okay.

"Stefan!" She couldn't help but smile as he turned towards her.

She bounded down her driveway, cutting into the grass as she leaped into his arms. Overjoyed that he was here, she had finally found him.

His arms encircled her as he let out a sigh. He had been worried; she hadn't been home when he arrived. He rested his cheek on her head as he pulled her tightly to him.

"Where have you been?" He whispered against her as she giggled lightly, choking on her tears.

"I could ask you the same thing Mr. Salvatore." She smiled brightly as she cried, holding onto him with all her might.

He smiled too, no longer feeling empty.

"I'm sorry I said that to you. I didn't mean it; I was upset and took it out on you."

She shook her head, pulling away still smiling.

"She doesn't deserve you, you know." She looked down at the ground, unable to look directly into his eyes.

His brows furrowed.

"What do you mean?"

She looked up, tears no longer shed. She smiled brightly at him, making him smile in return.

"Elena doesn't deserve to have you. You're such a great guy, and yet she just destroyed you without even caring. You need a girl that will stick with you no matter what, someone who deserves to know everything about you. A girl that will care if you're not around."

He laughed lightly, looking straight into her eyes.

"You mean someone like you?"

Caroline didn't really hear his words at first, but agreed with him quickly.

"Well, yeah I mean, you need…Wait, what?"

His smile broadened at the look of confusion she held. He ran his thumb over her cheek, leaning in to whisper.

"You care about me, right?"

She nodded, not quite getting where he was going with it.

He closed his eyes, resting his forehead against hers, a small smile still present on his lips.

"Then you're all I need, Caroline."

**Hope you guys liked it! It was kind of slow at the beginning, I think. But, I really liked the ending. Tell me what you think?**


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